Stoic & Genuine Restaurant Review

: Crafted Concepts, the restaurant group from chef Jennifer Jasinski (Rioja, Bistro Vendome and Euclid Hall) and business partner Beth Gruitch, unleashed an immediate hit when it opened this sanctuary of seafood in LoDo's renovated Union Station. The nautically-themed space, bedecked with a beachy sand fence ceiling and a muraled octopus, whose tentacles stretch the entire length of one wall, showcases, among other eye candy, a raw bar of fresh oysters, crab legs, lobsters and mussels glistening on ice. From the open kitchen, quarterbacked by chef de cuisine Jorel Pierce, comes other delights like fried surf clams, a bacon-studded chowder brimming with mussels and a modernized paella parading New Zealand king salmon, mussels, shrimp, squid, house-made sausage and crunchy rice cakes called "socorrat." A granita bar shimmering with hand-shaved ice contributes to the lure of the cocktails and desserts, including the affogato, a mocha granita with whipped mascarpone and a "cigarette" cookie, while the wine syllabus, albeit pricey, features an impressive lineup of bottles, including nearly a dozen varieties of bubbles.